Positions and priorities of 2024 Senate candidate Gloria Johnson

NewsChannel 5 posed questions to all major party candidates in Tennessee's U.S. Senate race and U.S. Congressional Districts 5, 6 and 7 on some of the biggest issues of this election. These are their answers. The questions appear here as they were presented to the candidates and their answers are unedited. The hope is that being able to read candidates' positions on issues in their own words will result in a more informed electorate.

TN Rep. Gloria Johnson is running as the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

1. What three priorities will you take with you into office?

As a Senator, I will work to expand access to affordable health care, including lowering the cost of prescription drugs, ensuring that all hard-working Tennessee families have access to a livable wage, and protecting a woman's right to choose her to make their own health decisions free from government intervention.

I'm running to take power away from corporations and special interest groups and put it back where it belongs: in the hands of middle and working families. In the Senate, I will work with all stakeholders to ensure Tennessee families have access to affordable health care, increase the federal minimum wage, and pass legislation that protects a woman's right to reproductive freedom.

2. How would you evaluate the federal response to the flooding in East Tennessee and what measures would you support as a member of Congress to help Americans affected by natural disasters?

The federal government is working as hard as possible to provide assistance to the victims of Hurricane Helene. Unfortunately, Senator Marsha Blackburn voted against funding FEMA to help families in Tennessee.

As a Senator, I would advocate for our leaders to quickly file a disaster declaration, increase funding for disaster preparedness and infrastructure improvements, expand support for long-term community recovery, invest in climate resilience to address the root causes, and much more equitable distribution of aid to all affected communities.

We must do better for Tennesseans and all Americans affected by natural disasters. I will fight to ensure our communities have everything they need to recover from this devastating hurricane.

3. What role should America play in the Israel/Gaza conflict and how would you support that role as a member of Congress?

The United States must hold itself and our allies to a standard that respects international law.

We need an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and we need to bring all the hostages home. The longer innocent people are killed, the further we move away from a two-state solution. Continuing violence will make no one safer, we need humanitarian aid and diplomatic efforts that bring real solutions.

4. In the two years since Roe v. Wade, many have proposed a new federal law that would guarantee a legal right to abortion in all 50 states. How would you vote on such a law? What role do you see in the federal government's abortion policy?

I have always fought and will continue to fight for women to be able to make their own health decisions, free from government interference. As a senator, I would continue to support a woman's right to make her own health decisions with her doctor, not politicians. We need Roe v. Restore Wade as the law of the land.

As a senator, I would also fight to ensure access to birth control and IVF. We must do everything we can to protect individual rights and access to health care, while promoting a society in which every family receives the support they need.

5. What should Congress do to address immigration policy?

Congress must pass comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens border security and responds to the humanitarian crisis at the border. Yet Washington politicians, including Senator Blackburn, have spent years dragging things out and obstructing solutions.

First, we must secure the border and stop the fentanyl trade. We should also protect DACA recipients and fix our broken immigration system for the long term.

Meanwhile, my opponent Marsha Blackburn is playing politics with the border instead of solving this crisis, rejecting a bipartisan plan backed by BorderPatrol to stop the fentanyl trade and station thousands of new CBP agents at the border. We must put politics aside to solve this crisis.

6. American families have experienced sharp price increases on essential household items. What can Washington do to curb inflation in essential goods like food and fuel?

There's no question – the costs are too high, and we need a senator who is willing to stand up for Tennessee families instead of corporate special interests. Senator Blackburn siphoned more than $10 million from corporate special interests and let them get away with price-gouging Tennesseans.

We must crack down on large corporations that exploit working families with high prices. I will fight to lower drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices for more prescriptions, extending those savings to all Tennesseans, and capping insulin costs for everyone at $35 per month. We can lower food prices by fighting the price gouging of large corporate chains. And we need to lower housing costs by investing in more affordable housing to increase supply and stop Wall Street hedge funds from buying up houses and raising rents to make bigger profits at our expense. Additionally, the majority of Tennesseans of all parties support a wage increase, and anyone who works a hard 40-hour week deserves a living wage. We have to increase wages.

7. What would you say was the most important achievement in your career?

My most significant accomplishment has been advocating for public schools in Tennessee as an educator and state representative, elevating the voices of those who need it most.

As a state representative, I fought to fully fund our public schools and increase teacher salaries, supported a bill to reduce class sizes, and opposed the school voucher bill that would defund Tennessee's public schools. I also pushed for real solutions for our public schools by passing the Community Schools Act.